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Pastors, Preaching, and Persecution

Go Cards!

No, this post is not about the once #1 (but now #12) Louisville Cardinals basketball team. Though the Cards are the local favorites, they are led by a coach I don’t particularly support. So, chances are, I won’t ever have much to say about those

Cards. This post is about Cardinals, but not the ones in Louisville. I’m not talking about the Cardinals in Arizona or St. Louis either. The former’s football season was over pretty much after week 5, while the latter’s baseball season has yet to begin.

This post is about cardinals of a different (and more serious) sort. Specifically, I am speaking of Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference who, in his opening remarks to the conference this past week, urged Roman Catholic leaders to remember the persecuted church. Cardinal Bagnasco surveyed the worldwide persecution of Christians, noting,

In too many countries, Christians are not allowed any sign of religious affiliation, except by camouflage or in hiding.

The Cardinal went on to say,

Those who suffer and die for Christ, do so for us, and they are our brothers regardless of the distance that divides us. In the mysterious economy through which the kingdom of God on earth is concretely woven, communion with these situations of martyrdom gives truth and vigor to our pastoral work, today focused on re-evangelizing the lands that have long known the Gospel”.

Finally, the Cardinal urged (in accordance with Hebrews 13:3) to remember brothers and sisters who are suffering persecution. The Cardinal noted that such a memory revitalizes our faith, too. And he is right. Remembering those persecuted on behalf of Christ causes us to remember our own faith in Christ. Even more important, we are forced to remember Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith who is undeniably present with those suffering on account of Him.

Thank you, Cardinal Bagnasco and Cardinal Bertone (who joined the call to remember the persecuted). May the Lord raise up an increasing number of Roman Catholic and Protestant leaders who call all followers of Christ to remember the persecuted.

(Morning Star News) – A court in Nepal yesterday acquitted eight Christians accused of attempting to convert children by means of a comic book, according to advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). The seven men and one woman were arrested in Charikot, Dolakha District in June as part of a crack-down on Christian activities in […]

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ISTANBUL, Turkey (Morning Star News) – Dozens of Coptic Christians in Upper Egypt are rebuilding their lives after Muslim extremists on Friday (Nov. 25) attacked them on suspicions that they were converting a meeting hall and community center into a church building. After noon prayers in Al-Nagameesh village in Sohag Governorate, a group of Muslims set […] […]

NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – Muslim villagers in eastern Uganda on Nov. 23 destroyed the maize crops of a former Islamic sheikh (teacher) in eastern Uganda who was beaten unconscious after revealing his faith in Christ, sources said. The day before his fields were destroyed, 30-year-old Malik Higenyi of Bufuja village, Butaleja District, received thr […]

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I have a friend who I am convinced is the smartest guy around. This past summer, he turned off the TV news. He has no Facebook, Twitter, or other social media accounts. But he does have a joyful disposition and peace in his soul—even in the midst of this excruciating election cycle. This election isn’t […]